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Car Audio

What You Get When You Spend More Money On Speakers

BestCarAudio.com - August 7, 2022

SpeakersAmong the most under-appreciated components in any audio system are the speakers. You could be using the best source unit on the planet, an amazing amplifier, and the most esoteric of interconnects and speaker cables – but if you don’t have great speakers, you still won’t have great sound. Your speakers are the only link between your electronics and your ears, so choosing great speakers is critically important to reproducing great sound. This article discusses what you get when you spend more money on speakers.

More Power Handling

Several factors limit the ability of a speaker to convert an electrical signal into speaker cone motion. One such limit is thermal capacity – just how much heat the voice coil, tinsel leads, former and cone can handle before one of them fails. Heat is the number-one enemy of speakers. Most of the power you send to your speakers is converted to heat rather than to sound – in fact, probably 95% or more is converted to heat.

As the quality of speakers increases, you often encounter a larger voice coil and better cooling technologies. These features, coupled with tighter tolerances around the voice coil, result in a speaker that can absorb more energy without failing.

More Excursion

Speakers
Analysis of the magnetic gap can help engineers increase motor strength.

Often tied directly to how much power a speaker can handle is the distance the speaker cone can move forward or back. This specification is called excursion. For most speakers, the specification for excursion is called Xmax. Xmax is the distance the cone can move in one direction without the voice coil moving out of the magnetic field, and the measurement is typically provided in millimeters.

A second and often equally important specification is Xmech or Xsus. These specifications describe the physical limit of how far the cone can move, based on the design of the suspension (spider and surround). A speaker can be pushed past the Xmax limit, but as this happens, distortion occurs. When a speaker cone reaches its physical excursion limit, distortion will spike even higher. When it comes to speakers, there is no good distortion, so operating them within their physical limits is critical to producing accurate sound.

Why is excursion important? When combined with the ability to handle more power, a “better” speaker will play louder when provided with more power. The same features also help to reduce a phenomenon called power compression. Power compression is a reduction in the efficiency of a speaker as its components heat up. The key drawback to power compression is that when the music gets quieter, you turn the volume up, thereby sending more power to the speaker and accelerating the heating effect. In no time, the speaker will fail.

Excursion Linearity

SpeakersIt’s one thing for a speaker to have good power handling and excursion characteristics. It is equally important that the speaker remains linear throughout its excursion-based operating range. All speakers change in their characteristics as excursion increases – a great speaker minimizes these.

Let’s look at a common problem with “simple speakers.” One of the characteristics that limit the high-frequency response of a woofer or midrange driver is inductance. The voice coil of the speaker has some natural inductance because, well – it is a coil of wire. This inductance is increased when we place the voice coil around the T-yoke of a speaker.

This is where the problem occurs: As the coil moves forward, some of it may leave the T-yoke, which will reduce inductance. As the coil moves rearward, inductance may increase. The result is that the speaker has different frequency responses depending on where it is within its range of excursion. Truly excellent speakers use technologies to minimize these effects. The result are speakers that sound just as good at low to moderate drive levels as they do when being pushed hard.

More Frequency Response

This is a bit harder to describe, because sometimes the improvement from a basic to a mid-priced speaker, or a mid-priced speaker to a high-end one, is extended frequency response. More often, it’s smoother frequency response. Better-quality speakers are, ideally, designed to reduce distortion caused by cone resonances, suspension nonlinearities and magnetic field imbalances. As you spend more on speakers, you will see that peaks in their frequency response, especially in the midbass region, are tamed.

Many great speakers still exhibit some cone resonances at high frequencies. As long as the speaker you are using in the adjacent band will play low enough, those peaks are not critical.

Reduced Distortion

SpeakersWhen a speaker designer combines an appropriately damped and rigid cone with a carefully designed motor and suspension, the result is a speaker that produces less distortion. Some distortions are very subtle, while others are quite pronounced. Speakers exhibit both even- and odd-ordered harmonic distortions, depending on what component or design issue is to blame.

If you have read our article on distortion, then you know that it is the effect of adding content that was not in the original program material. Harmonic distortion results in even or odd multiples of a specific frequency.

When you hear an amazing speaker, the difference between it and an average speaker is clarity. Smooth frequency response and a lack of distortion make each sound the speaker produces more faithful to the recording. Voices will sound more realistic. Instruments will sound more natural. Complex passages will become easier to understand.

It is also critical to point out that distortions cannot be removed from a signal or sound once created. No amount of equalization can extract those harmonics. Yes, you can reduce their level, but you also reduce the level of original signal information at those same frequencies. The only solution is to use a speaker that does not introduce distortion.

The Right Tool for the Job

Speakers
Unless properly installed, midbass speakers in kick panels can have poor response.

Another item that differentiates a good speaker from a great one is its design in terms of application. Let’s use a typical 6.5” midrange/midbass speaker as an example. If the speaker is designed to work in a typical door or rear deck-style installation, the Thiele-Small parameters for that transducer will be optimized for that application. If you attempt to put that speaker into a small kick panel pod that has only 0.1 cubic feet of air space, you will choke it. The low-frequency response will be dramatically reduced; typically, a bump in the midbass region will occur, and it will likely not sound very good. Most 6.5” speakers need an enclosure volume of about 0.6 cubic feet, and some want closer to 1.0 for smooth frequency response.

How do you look for a speaker designed for the right application? That is product knowledge that a properly trained mobile electronics retailer can provide. Do you need a midrange that will work in a small A-pillar pod? Do you need a woofer that will work in an infinite baffle application? Will your midbass driver be used with a subwoofer, or do you need one that will be the sole source of bass in the system? Knowing the intended application for a speaker ensures that the system designer will use it appropriately.

Are More Expensive Speakers Always Better?

Does price always determine performance? In the upper echelon of any audio industry, the rewards for spending exponentially more money diminish. That is to say, the improvement you get from spending $500 on a set of speakers as compared to $200 may not be as dramatic as the difference between $2,500 and $2,200.

Every speaker manufacturer wants you to buy their speakers. They all work hard to come up with great marketing programs to make you want to buy their products. Your goal in choosing an amazing speaker is to ignore the story and listen.

The best way is first to establish a reference. Listen to the best speakers you can find. Don’t worry about the price. You simply want to understand what is available. Then, choose your price point and listen to something in that range. If you can accept the differences, then proceed. If you can’t, re-evaluate your needs or your budget. You can’t get that extra level of clarity, dynamics and detail any other way.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Filed Under: ARTICLES, Car Audio, RESOURCE LIBRARY

Product Spotlight: Rockford Fosgate Prime R2D2-12 Car Audio Subwoofer

BestCarAudio.com - July 11, 2022

Prime Subwoofer

Adding a subwoofer to your car audio system is one of the best ways to improve the way your music sounds. If you are looking for a high-quality subwoofer at an affordable price, the Prime Series R2D2-12 from Rockford Fosgate is an excellent choice. This dual-voice coil 12-inch subwoofer is rated to continuously handle 250 watts of power with peaks at 500 watts. Best of all, you know you’re getting a subwoofer that will sound great and deliver clean, clear bass with minimal distortion.

Physical Features of the Rockford Fosgate R2D2-12

The R2D2-12 is based on Rockford Fosgate’s StampCast four-spoke, stamped-steel basket design. The basket design uses large, rolled edges on the windows to add significant structure and ensure that the motor assembly is secure and solid, giving you the benefits of a cast design without the expense.

The basket also features vents in the base where it’s mounted to the top plate. These vents improve power handling and driver linearity by allowing air under the spider to enter and escape around the voice coil as the cone moves forward and rearward. Features like spider venting are usually reserved for much more expensive drivers. There’s also a sizeable cooling vent in the pole piece to allow airflow from under the dust cap for an extra boost in power handling and performance.

Prime Subwoofer
The embossed and rolled edges of the R2D2-12 frame add significant structural rigidity to the driver.

The voice coil former is made of aluminum to help extract heat from the dual windings, while most woofers at this price point use plastic. The R2D2-12 has a pair of 2-ohm voice coils that can be wired in series or parallel or driven by separate amplifier channels. If you need a pair of 4-ohm coils on your sub, the R2D4-12 is the answer.

Speaker connections are made via a pair of spring-loaded terminals on each side of the motor assembly, with the voice coil’s tinsel leads sewn to the spider to keep them from slapping the cone or spider at high excursion levels. This is another feature that’s typical of much more expensive subwoofers.

Prime Subwoofer
Cooling vents integrated into the bottom of the StampCast chassis enhance power handling and high-excursion linearity.

The cone is constructed from injection-molded polypropylene with mica added for improved rigidity and thermal stability. An inverted dust cap in the center of the cone keeps dust and debris out of the voice coil gap. For compliance, the poly-cotton spider uses a linear design and a half-roll, poly-foam surround treated with a UV inhibitor to ensure longevity and reliability. A semi-rigid, injection-molded trim piece on the mounting flange provides a clean look. The connection between the spider, cone and surround has been reinforced with a multipoint high-temperature, high-strength neck joint bonding technique.

The Prime-Series R2D2-12 from Rockford Fosgate looks great and delivers fantastic sound from even moderately powerful amplifiers.

Prime-Series Subwoofer Applications

When looking at the Thiele/Small parameters, the first thing that stands out is the Xmax spec of 6.4 mm. Unlike most subwoofers that offer an Xmax calculation based on the height of the voice coil and the top plate, Rockford Fosgate’s specification is based on the measured excursion level that produces less than 10% distortion as measured by a laser-based Klippel transducer analysis system. This method considers compliance and motor strength changes for a much more realistic maximum excursion value. Very few companies are this honest and forthcoming with their specifications – quite impressive.

A second important observation is that the driver is impressively efficient. If you have 250 to 300 watts of power, there’s no sense running a giant subwoofer with a heavy voice coil and cone assembly. Rockford Fosgate has optimized this driver to deliver excellent output from minimal power. This is yet another sign that this company knows exactly what it is doing.

In terms of enclosure design, I modeled the suggested 1.02-cubic-foot sealed and 1.79-cubic-foot vented enclosures in BassBox Pro. These enclosures will deliver impressive output from modest power levels, making them perfect for systems with smaller amplifiers or where the electrical system current draw might be a concern in a hybrid or electric vehicle.

Prime Subwoofer
Predicted free-field response of the R2D2-12 in 1.02 cubic feet sealed (red) or 1.79 cubic feet vented (yellow) tuned to 45 Hz.

Upgrade Your Car Stereo with a Rockford Fosgate Subwoofer!

If you’re looking for a subwoofer system for your car or SUV, drop by your local authorized Rockford Fosgate retailer and ask about the 12-inch Prime Series R2D2-12 subwoofers. We think you’ll be very impressed with their performance and value. To learn more about Rockford Fosgate’s automotive, powersport, marine and motorcycle products, visit their website. Also, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

  • Devine Concepts

Filed Under: ARTICLES, Car Audio, PRODUCTS, RESOURCE LIBRARY Tagged With: Rockford Fosgate

Apple CarPlay Explained

BestCarAudio.com - June 5, 2022

Apple CarPlay

According to a AAA survey, the average American drives for about 45 minutes each day. If you compare this time to an eight hour work day, that’s 10% of your work day, on top of the hours you are at your desk. This time is not an insignificant number. If your job involves being on the road, then your time spent behind the wheel can represent half of your day. Being able to be productive while in your vehicle is not only convenient, but in some cases, mandatory to get all the work you need to get done in one day completed. Modern smartphone integration comes to the rescue with Apple CarPlay.

Apple CarPlay History

Apple recognized the need to give people the ability to use their phones in a safe fashion while driving back in 2010. The feature was called iPod Out. BMW announced that it would include iPod Out at the WWDC that year. The concept was that BMW would provide a way for its vehicles to ‘host’ specific applications. The information would be displayed on the factory screen while providing button press and knob rotation information back to the radio.

Apple CarPlayThe next evolution was the introduction of Siri Eyes Free in some Honda Accord and the Acura RDX and ILX models in 2013. Siri Eyes Free is a way to make use of the Siri voice recognition function that Apple Introduced with iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S in October 2011. Apple has marketed Siri as a personal assistant. It allows you to talk to your Apple device to make phone calls, send text messages, set reminders and choose the music you want to hear. Using Siri Eyes Free is simple- press and hold a button on your car radio, wait for the tone, and then speak.

Siri will listen to what you said, convert that to a command and execute it, all without you needing to take your eyes off the road.

Between the time that Apple announced iPod Out and the Geneva Motor Show in March of 2014, Apple was working on the next generation of automotive integration under the code name Stark. At the Geneva Motor Show, they announced ‘iOS in the Car.’ Later that year, Ferrari introduced the new FF model with a fully working version of Apple CarPlay. A few months later, Hyundai announced the Sonata would also feature CarPlay. Most automobile manufacturers have CarPlay available on their mid to high trim level vehicles now.

Apple CarPlay Interface Overview

Apple CarPlay
CarPlay alerts you to new text messages and will read them to you.

Apple’s current marketing touts CarPlay as ‘The Ultimate Copilot.’ The features are designed to allow you to communicate with family, friends, and coworkers without significant distraction. The basic feature set of CarPlay includes making and receiving phone calls, choosing the music you want to listen to, getting navigation instructions and sending and receiving text messages.

Apple has worked hard to ensure that the above functions are usable without unnecessary distraction. As soon as you plug your phone into the USB port of your radio, CarPlay launches automatically.

CarPlay does not display incoming text messages on the screen of the radio. Messages are read aloud to prevent users from looking at the dash. However, there are no options presented when asking Apple Maps to plan a navigation route.

Apple CarPlay
Voice command of music selection keeps driving and listening safe.

Selecting music to play is as easy as requesting the track title, artist or even genre of music you want to enjoy. CarPlay will start playing what you want right away. Apple has also included support for Apple Music- a streaming service powered by iTunes. CarPlay also supports Apple Podcast and Audiobooks. You can select the episode you want to listen to via the touchscreen interface, then play, pause or skip 15 seconds forward or back. Apple CarPlay provides support for several third-party applications including Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Audible and MLB At Bat.

Apple has released information to application developers in order to allow for the creation of more third party applications. You will see more and more third-party applications added to the CarPlay interface as time passes. Apple will, of course, be selective in their approval process, so don’t expect to see competing navigation applications any time soon.

The Future of Apple CarPlay

Apple CarPlayUnveiled by BMW in October of 2016, future iterations of CarPlay will function wirelessly. The 2017 BMW 5-Series sedans, when used with an iPhone 6 or newer, will allow users to use CarPlay without the need to plug in the Lightning connector. Wireless CarPlay communicates over a Bluetooth data connection.

Apple is tight-lipped about future functionality of CarPlay. There have been rumours about vehicle function control like remote door lock control, remote starting and trunk release, but so far nothing is set in stone. Another rumored feature is the ability of your phone to remember where you parked your car once you have arrived at your destination.

Apple has led the industry with safe and convenient integration of your smartphone to your vehicle. The future of ‘connected cars’ promises to allow us to share information and offer better communication while remaining safe. If you are interested in adding CarPlay to your vehicle, visit your local mobile electronics specialist retailer. They can show you what options are available for your vehicle.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Filed Under: ARTICLES, Car Audio, RESOURCE LIBRARY

Product Spotlight: Rockford Fosgate Punch P1000X5 Five-Channel Amplifier

BestCarAudio.com - June 3, 2022

Rockford Fosgate P1000X5

If the sound system in your car or truck doesn’t put a smile on your face, it’s time to visit your local authorized Rockford Fosgate retailer and ask about the impressive P1000X5 five-channel amplifier. This single-channel amp can dish out an effortless 75 watts of power from the four main channels and up to 500 watts of power to a subwoofer. Best of all, it has all the features your installer needs to connect it to almost any factory-installed audio system. If you aren’t intrigued, you should be! Let’s dive deeper.

A Five-Channel Car Audio Amp Is the Perfect Upgrade

If you’ve ever tried to crank up the volume on your car stereo and it began distorting just as things were getting fun, then you need to upgrade your audio system with an amplifier. The P1000X5 is part of the Punch Series from Rockford Fosgate, so it has all the power, features and sound quality you’d ever want.

Let’s start with the power specifications. The P1000X5 is rated to produce 75 watts by four and 150 watts from the subwoofer channel into 4-ohm loads. When connected to 2-ohm speakers, the maximum power output jumps to 150 by four and 300 for the sub channel. If you want to go all out, your installer can design your subwoofer system to present a 1-ohm load to the mono channel so the amp can produce 500 watts of power. The amp can also be configured for three-channel operation where it can produce 250 watts into a pair of 4-ohm speakers and 500 watts into a 1-ohm subwoofer.

Rockford Fosgate P1000X5
All the controls and adjustments for the P1000X5 are on top of the amp to make it easy for your installer to configure.

The P1000X5 includes high-pass crossovers on the front and rear channels that are adjustable from 50 to 250 Hz with -12 dB/octave slopes. The subwoofer channel has a low-pass crossover that’s also adjustable from 50 to 250 Hz and a selectable infrasonic filter set to 28 Hz. The front, rear and subwoofer channels have dedicated sensitivity controls that will accept from 150 millivolts up to an impressive 12 volts. The inputs are differential, so they can handle direct connections to low-power source units without the need for an adapter. The amp has dedicated stereo inputs for the front, rear and sub channels, or it can be configured to feed the sub output from the front and rear, or the rear and sub from just the front.

All three sets of channels feature the on-board Punch EQ circuit, designed to correct for acoustical deficiencies in the cabin of the vehicle. Your installer can dial in up to 18 dB of boost at 45 Hz on the sub channel and up to 14 dB of boost at 12.5 kHz on the front channels. The amp also has a provision for the optional Remote Punch Level control to let the driver adjust the relative level of the sub to the rest of the speakers. In addition, the front, rear and subwoofer channels all feature the C.L.E.A.N. Set-Up feature that lets your installer match your source unit to the amplifier and know when the output signal is clipping.

Rockford Fosgate P1000X5
The famous Rockford Fosgate Punch EQ circuit adds impact and detail without boominess or harshness.

The P1000X5 is 15 inches wide, 7.8 inches long and only 2.4 inches tall. As with the other amps in the Punch series, this amp uses a high-mass cast aluminum heatsink that helps keep things cool while reducing distortion and extending reliability. The amp also features NOMAD protection circuitry that monitors voltages and temperatures to keep the amp safe.

In terms of output device topology, the front and rear channels feature a Class AB design that uses Rockford Fosgate’s proprietary TRANS•ANA configuration to minimize circuit complexity and maximize sound quality. The subwoofer channel is an efficient Class BD design that delivers big power without drawing significant amounts of current from the charging system.

Rockford Fosgate P1000X5
The P1000X5 features top-mounted controls with power, signal and speaker connections located on one side to ensure that the installation remains neat and tidy.

Rockford Fosgate’s Punch P1000X5 – The Perfect Car Audio System Amplifier

One of the most significant benefits of powering your audio system with a five-channel amp is the simplicity of installation. A single-chassis amp doesn’t require multiple power wires or distribution – which can save you a lot of money. Second, five-channel amplifiers typically take up less space than using an amp for the main speakers and a second for a subwoofer.

If you want more performance out of the speakers in your car or truck and are thinking about adding a subwoofer at the same time, drop by your local authorized Rockford Fosgate car audio retailer and ask about the amazing Punch Series P1000X5 five-channel amplifier. You can learn more about this cool amplifier by visiting the Rockford Fosgate website. Be sure to follow their Facebook page, Instagram feed and YouTube channel to learn about the latest audio system solutions for your car, truck, motorcycle or boat.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

  • Devine Concepts

Filed Under: ARTICLES, Car Audio, PRODUCTS, RESOURCE LIBRARY Tagged With: Rockford Fosgate

The Reference For Great Sound

BestCarAudio.com - April 3, 2022

Great SoundListening to music goes back to the dawn of man. From banging a few tree branches together to the latest computer-generated pop hit, music is a universal language that everyone can enjoy. People who put significant effort into the accurate reproduction of the music they enjoy are often called audiophiles. There is a running joke that audiophiles sometimes concentrate more on listening to the equipment they use to make great sound than to the music itself. While this so-called joke is certainly true during the purchasing and setup stage, once audiophiles have their systems sounding the way they want, the focus turns to enjoying the music.

If you get into a discussion about choosing high-end audio equipment, inevitably someone will suggest that you seek out a reference. The ultimate reference is a live performance. We want to be clear: Artists don’t make money like they used to from album sales. Supporting the performers you enjoy by attending concerts not only is great entertainment for you, but allows the performer to make a few dollars.

With this in mind, the reference for what the reproduction of a recording should sound like is not a live performance.

This article provides a generalization about most music heard on a car radio. There are exceptions; we understand that. We want you to think outside what you were once told.

How Music is Recorded

Great SoundFor most music, each musician or performer is in a recording studio. Microphones are used to capture the subsequent performance. For a singer, the mic is usually directly in front of them. For a group of singers, each individual may have a mic, or they may be gathered around a single centralized mic or a pair of microphones set up to capture the performance in stereo. For someone playing an electric guitar, the mic is most likely in front of the amplifier.

In some recording sessions, the amplifier is placed in a small room and cranked to 11 so it clips and distorts the sound, and that gets recorded. This overdriven performance gives the guitar “a certain sound” that some producers and engineers like.

Great SoundThese techniques go on and on. At the very extreme might be a drum kit. Some recording engineers have microphones on each drum and cymbal, then overhead mics to pick up rim shots and another set of mics forward of the drums to capture the room’s acoustics. Consider this as well: The sensitivity pattern of a microphone is not so narrow that it only captures what is directly in front of it, so each microphone captures information from all of the drums and cymbals, to some extent.

The specific placement of a microphone relative to the instrument it is recording has a dramatic effect on what it captures. Let’s take a look at recording an acoustic guitar. A microphone a few inches in front of the soundhole will capture significantly different information than if the mic is located halfway up the fingerboard. The question now becomes, What microphone position is correct? The next question is, If we were standing in the recording studio with the guitarist, would we hear the same thing that the microphone recorded?

The Effect of the Studio

Great SoundEach make and model of instrument has its own unique characteristic set of harmonics that gives it a “sound.” So, too, does each studio. Some are very large with acoustically absorbent surfaces. Some are very small and have a “live” sound. Placing the same performer with the same instrument in each of these studios will result in a different sound in the listening and recording position. If you haven’t seen it, watch the Foo Fighters’ documentary, “Sonic Highways.” It provides a great look at how different studios can affect the sound of a performance.

Let’s review what we have so far. For a given performance, we have a unique performer, their choice of instrument, the environment, the choice of microphone and the microphone placement that affect what we hear. We are just warming up!

The Control Room

Great SoundIn a studio, the musicians perform in what is called the live room or sometimes an isolation booth. We already know that the shape, size and finish of these rooms affect what gets recorded, but what about the control room? This is a separate room from where the performance is taking place and where the recording engineer and producer typically sit. In this room are the control console, computers to capture and process the recording, and – most importantly – monitor speakers.

In a gross and undetailed generalization, once each microphone channel has been recorded, the producer manipulates each channel to produce the final mix. This manipulation can be as simple as the left-to-right panning and level of each instrument, or as complex as equalization, compression, gating, adding distortion and much more. Often, many processes are applied simultaneously to each channel. It can take weeks or months to mix a single complex track.

We all know how different each and every set of speakers can sound. When we add the acoustics of the control room to the mix (pun intended), the number of variables increases dramatically. Listening to the same master track in two different control rooms can result in dramatically different results. This begs the question once again of what is correct, and how do we know?

Measuring and calibrating the frequency response of the monitoring speaker system will certainly help a lot, but that doesn’t account for the distortion characteristics of the speakers. Let’s say the speakers sound a little warm because the midbass driver has a resonance problem due to nonlinearities in the spider. Even a mild resonance can wreak havoc with the perceived balance of the speaker. Worse, you can’t EQ it back out. Yes, you can flatten the overall response level of the system, but if you are getting some 120 Hz content because the cone is playing 60 Hz, that can’t be removed. Lack of distortion in speakers is crucial to accurate reproduction.

Circle of Destruction?

So, we have our performers in a studio playing music. Microphones are set up in specific locations to capture that performance and the acoustics of the environment. The recording engineer is listening to what is captured by the microphones on that studio’s monitor system. The engineer makes adjustments to the mix based on what he hears. The music is then sold to the public. We listen to it on our reference systems and, if everything has gone according to plan, we enjoy it.

But what if we don’t enjoy it? What if we think what we hear doesn’t have enough bass or has too much high-frequency information? Do we make adjustments to the tone controls on our radios? Does the act of attempting to reproduce sound evolve from a scientific task to a form of art?

What about the Live Performance?

Great SoundOur friends and experts suggested that our reference for listening to music be a live performance. Is it an acoustic performance? Is it in an open-air stadium or a small club? Are any band members drunk? The number of variables that can affect what we hear is nearly infinite. Your best hope of using a live performance as a reference is to listen to a recording of that particular performance. If the recording took place anywhere else, it just might not work. Will the experience be worthwhile and enjoyable? The answer to that is a resounding yes! That performance is not our reference.

What is our Reference For Great Sound?

Great SoundFor a given performance in a given location with a specific set of instruments and microphone placement techniques, the absolute reference for what that performance should sound like would be the control room where the final mixing took place. Even if we expanded our example to a simple two-microphone recording of a choir in a massive cathedral, the recording engineer is likely to make some small adjustments, using a reference audio system or reference headphones, before that recording is released to the public.

Reproducing and listening to music is about more than just frequency response. Time response, reflections in the listening environment and much more affect what we hear. The best way to develop a reference is to listen to the same recording on as many great systems as you can. Ignore the make, model, color and cost of the equipment you are auditioning. Work to quantify the difference between what you hear and what you have heard previously.

After a while, you will start to develop a reference for what sounds good. Continue to listen. Evaluate new products, new applications and new environments. Sure, a personal preference is still involved, but that is your contribution to the art of recording and enjoying music: You can make it sound the way you want.

Your local specialist mobile electronics retailer will have many different systems you can audition. Drop by and ask to listen to a few. If they have a demo car, then definitely listen to that! Listening to music is a lot of fun – never forget that.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Filed Under: ARTICLES, Car Audio, RESOURCE LIBRARY

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14848 Old 41 Rd
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Store Hours

SundayClosed
Monday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
SaturdayClosed

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